Bauer Media Group Is Expanding Its US Presence; The New York Times Analyzes The Importance Of Cellphone Numbers

Bauer Media Group will launch a digital offshoot of Empire magazine in the US. Bauer has grown profitable by reviving European print magazines through its digital subsidiary, Bauer Xcel Media. Because Bauer is launching these properties for the first time not only on digital but in the US, it can “start from scratch,” said Christian Baesler, president of Bauer Xcel Media. “Online everything is based on data. You need editors who really understand these numbers.” Bauer’s strategy, which relies heavily on social media, programmatic and header bidding, is “a little bit of a bellwether of where the industry is going,” Scott Bender, global head of publisher strategy and business development at Prohaska consulting, told Mike Shields of The Wall Street Journal. More.

Can I Have Your Number?

Your cell number isn’t regulated like a Social Security number, but maybe we should rethink that. Cell numbers are now “kind of a key into the room of your life and information about you,” Edward Stroz, a former high-tech crime agent at the FBI, tells The New York Times. Trends indicate the average 25-year-old’s 10-digit cell number will remain the same for decades, and will easily supplant landlines, home addresses and emails as the strongest personal data point. A cell number is “often even more useful than a Social Security number because it is tied to so many databases and is connected to a device you almost always have with you,” says another former FBI agent. And on the cross-device marketing side, this is also why Facebook, Google, Twitter, Netflix and everyone else is suddenly insisting they need your mobile number for the sign-in process. More.

MeasureBot

Facebook will offer analytics to advertisers using Messenger bots, the platform said in a blog post. Through the Facebook Analytics for Apps tool, advertisers will be able to analyze messages sent and received, or the number of people who block or unblock an app. Facebook will also share aggregated and anonymized demographic reports to help advertisers understand who is engaging with their bots. The App Events API can let advertisers link vertical-specific actions to Messenger engagements, i.e., how often a news publisher gets clicks back to its site. Devs can also apply for FbStart, a program that helps grow and monetize apps, including through Facebook ad credits.

The Newspaper Lining

The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers removed their paywall on Election Day, but The Wall Street Journal took a different tack. “Call me old-fashioned, but if your business model is to say 'we are a paid-for, subscription-driven business,' changing your mind willy-nilly is not a consumer-focused decision,” says Katie Vanneck-Smith, global managing director at WSJ owner Dow Jones, in an interview with Poynter. The decision to maintain the paper’s paywall and 24-hour, non-subscriber guest pass contributed to its best week ever for digital signups, Vanneck-Smith said. Of course, those with suspended paywalls saw new subscription bumps as well. The New York Times fact-checked one Trump tweet with the news that it’s seen a 400% surge in digital and print subscribers this week.